To reduce anthropological pressure on the environment, the implementation of novel technologies in present and future economies is needed for sustainable development. The food industry, with dairy and meat production in particular, has a significant environmental impact. Global poultry production is one of the fastest-growing meat producing sectors and is connected with the generation of burdensome streams of manure, offal and feather waste. In 2020, the EU alone produced around 3.2 million tonnes of poultry feather waste composed primarily of keratin, a protein biopolymer resistant to conventional proteolytic enzymes. If not managed properly, keratin waste can significantly affect ecosystems, contributing to environmental pollution, and pose a serious hazard to human and livestock health. In this article, the application of keratinolytic enzymes and microorganisms for promising novel keratin waste management methods with generation of new value-added products, such as bioactive peptides, vitamins, prion decontamination agents and biomaterials were reviewed.

This study evaluates various strains of soil bacterial for use in the development of new biopreparations. Mesophilic spore-forming bacteria were isolated from cultivated soil and analysed for their enzymatic activity, ability to decompose crop residues, and antagonistic properties towards selected phytopathogens. Notably, this is the first cytotoxicity assessment of soil bacterial metabolites on Spodoptera frugiperda Sf-9 (fall armyworm). Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus licheniformis, Bacillus velezensis, Paenibacillus amylolyticus, and Prestia megaterium demonstrated the highest hydrolytic potential for the degradation of post-harvest residues from maize, winter barley, and triticale. They exhibited antimicrobial activity against at least three of the tested phytopathogens and demonstrated the ability to solubilize phosphorus. Metabolites of B. licheniformis (IC50 = 8.3 mg/mL) and B. subtilis (IC50 = 144.9 mg/mL) were the most cytotoxic against Sf-9. We recommend the use of the tested strains in industrial practice as biocontrol agents, plant growth biostimulants, crop residue decomposition stimulants, and bioinsecticides. Future studies should focus on assessing the efficacy of using these strains under conditions simulating the target use, such as plant microcosms and greenhouses and the impact of these strains on the abundance and biodiversity of native soil microbiota. This research can serve as a model procedure for screening other strains of bacteria for agricultural purposes.

The volume of difficult-to-process keratin waste is increasing as a result of rising global meat production. If not properly managed, this waste can contribute to environmental pollution and pose a threat to human and animal welfare. An interesting and more sustainable alternative is therefore the bioconversion of keratin using microorganisms and their enzymes. This work aimed to isolate bacteria from soil samples and zoonotic keratins and to evaluate their enzymatic capacity to degrade α- and β-keratin wastes. A total of 113 bacterial strains were isolated from environmental samples and subjected to taxonomic identification using the MALDI-TOF MS technique and to a two-step screening for proteolytic and keratinolytic activity. The ability to degrade a β-rich keratin substrate was observed in almost all of the strains isolated from soil and horsehairs. In contrast, when an α-rich keratin substrate was used, the highest levels of hydrolysis were observed only for Ker39, Ker66, Ker85, Ker100, and Ker101. Strains with the highest biodegradation potential were identified using molecular biology methods. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rDNA gene sequences allowed the assignment of selected keratinolytic microorganisms to the genera Exiguobacterium, Priestia, Curtobacterium, Stenotrophomonas, Bacillus, Kocuria, or Pseudomonas. The results of this study are a promising precursor for the development of new, more sustainable methods of managing keratin waste to produce high-value hydrolysates.

More than 40 yeast strains were isolated from various types of plant biomass and then evaluated for potential applications in biotechnological processes conducted at low temperature. Adaptation to low temperature was tested by passaging the isolates at decreasing temperatures, from 30 to 15 °C. Only the strains that were able to adapt to the final temperature and reached the stationary growth phase relatively quickly were submitted to further experimentation. These included eight environmental yeast isolates from four types of materials of plant origin: wheat, rye, and cucumber, containing glucose, fructose, sucrose, and starch; yeast-fermentable sugars; red beetroot, containing large amounts of glucose and fructose; and fruits (grapes and apples) containing glucose, fructose, and sucrose. The strains were identified and then subjected to a series of experiments to assess their suitability for use in low-temperature biotechnological industrial processes incorporating microbial biomass. The growth dynamics and assimilation profiles of the yeast strains were investigated, as well as their ability to produce volatile compounds.

Sustainable animal feed options must balance nutritional, environmental, and ethical considerations. Maize (Zea mays) and yellow lupine (Lupinus luteus) biomass offer promising substrates for producing silage, due to their high nutritional value and potential to support controlled fermentation. Maize is widely used in animal feed, due to its content of digestible carbohydrates and protein. Lupine is a viable alternative to soy, with advantages including high protein and low environmental impact due to its nitrogen-fixing abilities. This study investigated the possible use of selected lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains—L. buchneri 1, P. acidilactici 4, L. buchneri 2.1, and P. acidilactici 2.2—to optimize fermentation of maize and lupine biomass for improved silage quality. Controlled fermentations using these strains resulted in silages with favorable parameters: pH values ranging from 3.8 to 4.4, dry matter content between 35 and 45%, and total acidity in the range of 6.0 to 8.0%. The best results were achieved in a 1:1 maize–lupine mixture, which showed stable LAB counts and optimal fermentation conditions. The results showed the potential of microbial inoculation in improving silage quality. However, the conclusions are based on lab-scale studies and do not address practical factors such as scalability, cost-effectiveness, or long-term storage stability.